Chicago - Justin Lee Collins makes guest appearance
Lizzie Guilfoyle
THE Kander and Ebb musical Chicago is about to celebrate its eleventh anniversary and to celebrate, comedian and TV presenter Justin Lee Collins will play Amos Hart in three performances at the Cambridge Theatre – on December 4 and December 5, 2008.
These performances, as well as Collins’ rehearsals, will be filmed as part of a documentary which is scheduled for transmission on Sky One in the New Year.
Speaking about his role in Chicago, Collins said: “I’m over the moon to be playing the sexiest part in the best show on the West End stage. I’ve already gone through a dozen pairs of tights.”
Collins is well known for programmes such as The Saturday Night Project and the series of documentaries entitled Bring Back… in which he attempts to reunite the casts of popular bygone shows.
In Chicago, he will be joining current cast members Aoife Mulholland (as Roxie Hart), Tiffany Graves (Velma Kelly), Ian Kelsey (Billy Flynn) and Brenda Edwards (Mama Morton), replacing Victor McGuire as Amos Hart.
Chicago tells the story of Roxie Hart, a nightclub singer who dreams of headlining in Vaudeville, but only achieves celebrity status when she murders her lover and enlists the help of Billy Flynn, Chicago’s shrewdest lawyer, to whip up the publicity surrounding the case and ensure her acquittal.
Described as slick, sexy and sassy, Chicago has choreography in the style of the legendary Bob Fosse and a ‘fantastic’ Jazz score, which includes And All That Jazz.
Chicago opened at the Adelphi Theatre in 1997 and transferred to its current home, the Cambridge Theatre, in April 2006.
NB: Performances on December 5 are at 5pm and 8:30pm.